How accurate is the office fit-out cost calculator?

It gives a preliminary budget range based on your office size, condition, layout, finish level and selected services. It is an early planning estimate, not a formal quotation — final costs are confirmed after a site assessment.

Is the calculator free to use?

Yes. The calculator is completely free and there is no obligation. You provide your project details and contact information and receive an instant estimated budget range.

What does the estimate include?

The range covers construction and fit-out works for the scope you select — finishes, internal layout, and any additional services chosen. Furniture is included only if you select it. Prices exclude VAT.

Does the estimate include VAT?

No. All figures are shown excluding VAT.

What happens after I get my estimate?

Your details are sent to the First Gate team and we respond quickly — typically the same business day — to discuss your project and arrange a site assessment for an accurate quotation.

Which areas does First Gate cover?

First Gate delivers office fit-out, refurbishment and relocation projects across Cape Town and surrounding areas.

How long does a retail fit-out take?

A typical 100–300 m² retail fit-out runs four to eight weeks from sign-off to handover, depending on the complexity of joinery, the availability of imported materials, and whether a council submission is required. Hospitality fit-outs and larger showrooms typically run longer. We give you a programme at the proposal stage — and build in contingency for the things that routinely cause slippage, so the date we give you is the date we plan to.

Do I need council approval for a retail fit-out?

It depends on the scope and the building. Work that changes the floor plan, alters structural elements, or triggers a change of use almost always needs a submission. Work that stays within an existing approved plan and doesn't affect fire, sanitary or structural elements usually doesn't. We assess this at the brief stage and factor it into your programme and cost.

Can you work within a shopping centre's contractor rules?

Yes. We're experienced working within the requirements of landlord-managed centres — including approved contractor lists, after-hours work restrictions, loading constraints, and the centre management approval process. We manage the liaison with centre management so you don't have to.

How do you handle imported materials or brand-specified suppliers?

We've coordinated with international brand supplier networks on multiple projects. Where your brand specifies components from a particular supplier — fixtures, hardware, surface materials — we manage procurement, import coordination and installation. Delays in imported materials are the single biggest risk to retail programmes; we build for them rather than hoping they don't happen.

What does a fixed-price proposal include?

The fixed price covers design, all construction works, joinery fabrication and installation, electrical and data, finishes, and project management. It excludes loose furniture and fittings, AV and security systems (unless scoped), and any council submission fees — which are pass-through costs we identify upfront. There are no contingency additions after sign-off unless you change the scope.

Can you refurbish an existing fit-out rather than start from scratch?

Yes. Retail refurbishments — brand refreshes, partial remodels, new lease reinstatements — are a significant part of what we do. We assess the existing fit-out at the brief stage and tell you what's worth retaining and what needs to be replaced to deliver the brief cleanly.

How quickly do you respond to enquiries?

Within two business days. We come back with an initial assessment of the space, a programme outline, and a fixed-price proposal. The initial assessment is free.

Service · Cape Town

Retail Fit-Out — Cape Town

From empty shell to trading floor: retail fit-outs and shopfitting across Cape Town's retail, hospitality and showroom sectors. Design, construction and compliance under one delivery team.

Get a retail estimate

Scope

What a retail fit-out scope covers

Retail fit-outs vary significantly by sector — fashion, F&B, showroom, health and wellness each have specific requirements. A typical First Gate scope includes:

01
Space planning and concept design
Customer flow, sightlines, product zoning and dressing-room or service-counter placement — designed around your brand and the trading logic of the space, not generic retail templates.
02
Joinery, fixtures and display
Custom millwork, display units, shelving systems and service counters fabricated and installed to specification. Where branded components are supplier-specified, we manage procurement and installation.
03
Finishes and fit-out build
Flooring, wall finishes, ceiling systems and shopfront — to the standard your brand and your landlord requires. We work in landlord-controlled centres as well as standalone street-facing stores.
04
Electrical, data and lighting
Retail-grade accent and task lighting, power for POS and back-of-house, data and security — installed to SANS standards and coordinated with the overall design intent.
05
Compliance and handover
Where the fit-out triggers a council submission, we manage the full process — drawings, lodgement, inspections and occupancy certificate — so you open with a compliant, insurable space.

15+

Years in Cape Town

Level 1

BEE Contributor

SACAP

Registered

2days

Fixed-price proposal turnaround

Process

How First Gate runs a retail fit-out

01
Step 01
Brief and site assessment
We start with your brand guidelines, your lease, and a site visit. Key questions at this stage: what the landlord permits, what services are available, what the trading programme demands, and whether the scope triggers a council submission.
02
Step 02
Design and fixed-price proposal
A concept layout and fixed-price proposal within two business days. We work to your schedule and budget from the first conversation — no open-ended estimates that expand after sign-off.
03
Step 03
Fabrication and build
Joinery, finishes and shopfront are managed in parallel where possible. We coordinate with your brand's supplier network where components are specified — and manage installation to avoid damage to finished work.
04
Step 04
Compliance and fit-out handover
If the scope includes a council submission, we manage it from drawings to certificate. Handover includes a defects walk, a record of all installed services, and an as-built set — so your next refurbishment starts from a clean base.

Scope

What this service is, and isn't.

When it fits

When to engage us

New retail fit-outs in vacant shells — shopping centres, street-facing stores, lifestyle and showroom environments.
Retail refurbishments and brand refreshes where the existing fit-out needs to change to meet updated brand standards or a new lease.
Hospitality and F&B fit-outs where the build complexity is similar to retail but the compliance requirements are higher.
Showroom and gallery fit-outs where the precision of display and lighting is the primary brief.

When it doesn't

Pure commercial office
If you're fitting out an office rather than a retail or customer-facing space, see corporate interior design or design and build.
Landlord-side shell preparation
If you're a landlord preparing a space for incoming retail tenants rather than a tenant fitting it out, see white-box fit-out.

Why First Gate

Design, build and compliance — one team

Retail fit-outs go wrong most often at the handover between design and build, or between the builder and the compliance process. We run all three, which means fewer gaps and one point of accountability.

01 / Fixed price from day one

No open-ended estimates

We come back with a fixed-price proposal within two business days of the brief. The number doesn't change unless the scope changes — not after we've started, not when the joinery arrives.

02 / Design and build integrated

One team, no handover gap

The people who design the space are the people who build it. There's no translation layer between design intent and what goes on site — and no finger-pointing when something doesn't land as drawn.

03 / Compliance built in

Occupancy certificate with the space

Where your fit-out triggers a council submission, it's lodged and approved by the same team running the build. You don't chase a certificate after opening — it's part of what we deliver.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

: A typical 100–300 m² retail fit-out runs four to eight weeks from sign-off to handover, depending on the complexity of joinery, the availability of imported materials, and whether a council submission is required. Hospitality fit-outs and larger showrooms typically run longer. We give you a programme at the proposal stage — and build in contingency for the things that routinely cause slippage, so the date we give you is the date we plan to.
: It depends on the scope and the building. Work that changes the floor plan, alters structural elements, or triggers a change of use almost always needs a submission. Work that stays within an existing approved plan and doesn't affect fire, sanitary or structural elements usually doesn't. We assess this at the brief stage and factor it into your programme and cost.
: Yes. We're experienced working within the requirements of landlord-managed centres — including approved contractor lists, after-hours work restrictions, loading constraints, and the centre management approval process. We manage the liaison with centre management so you don't have to.
: We've coordinated with international brand supplier networks on multiple projects. Where your brand specifies components from a particular supplier — fixtures, hardware, surface materials — we manage procurement, import coordination and installation. Delays in imported materials are the single biggest risk to retail programmes; we build for them rather than hoping they don't happen.
: The fixed price covers design, all construction works, joinery fabrication and installation, electrical and data, finishes, and project management. It excludes loose furniture and fittings, AV and security systems (unless scoped), and any council submission fees — which are pass-through costs we identify upfront. There are no contingency additions after sign-off unless you change the scope.
: Yes. Retail refurbishments — brand refreshes, partial remodels, new lease reinstatements — are a significant part of what we do. We assess the existing fit-out at the brief stage and tell you what's worth retaining and what needs to be replaced to deliver the brief cleanly.
: Within two business days. We come back with an initial assessment of the space, a programme outline, and a fixed-price proposal. The initial assessment is free.

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